An Ideal Battle from 1944

Depicted in a training film

Made in the summer of 1944, Training Film 480 depicts a counter-attack.¹ In particular, it tells the tale a reaction force [Eingreif Reserve] sent into action against Soviet forces that have broken into a position held by a German infantry regiment.

The reaction force in question consists of the following elements:

• a pair of headquarters, each mounted in an armored half-track²

• a pair of armored half-tracks fitted with flame-throwers

• three squads of armored infantry, each mounted in an armoured half-track

• three armored tank hunters (Jagdpanzer IV)

The infantry regiment supported by the reaction force held a main battle line [Haupt-Kampf-Linie] that, in the view of the commanding officer, was vulnerable to a Soviet breakthrough in three separate places.³ He therefore asked the lieutenant commanding the reaction force to prepare three counterattacks, each of which would be launched from the same assembly area. At the same time, he arranged for the three programs of field artillery fire, each of which would assist the reaction force by isolating the Soviet forces that had managed to enter the German position.⁴

The half of the film that deals with preparations mentions a small number of tips of types that would interest squad leaders. (These include a reminder to refresh the branches used to camouflage vehicles, techniques for marking routes, and the adage that it is better for a half-track to be ten meters too deep in the woods than peeking out of the trees by a single centimeter.) For the most part, however, it shows the meetings among the leaders involved in planning the employment of the reaction force. These take place out-of-doors, in places that offer good views of the terrain in question.

The second half of the film describes, in some detail, the use of the reaction force to destroy the Soviet forces that have managed to tear a hole in the German main battle line at one of the places predicted by the regimental commander.

The process of destroying the Soviet force that has broken through the main battle line begins with the deployment of the three armored tank hunters. These take up firing positions on a ridge, thereby giving their 75mm guns the ability to strike targets along the depth of the Soviet penetration. This fire also serves to draw the attention of Soviet leaders towards the front, and thus away from the flanks, of the penetration.

In the course of firing at the penetration, the armored tank hunters frequently change their firing positions. This gives the impression that there are more than three such vehicles at work. It also gives the tank hunters the ability to fire upon a greater number of possible targets.

While the tank hunters fire, the remainder of the reaction force - the entirety of which is mounted in armored half-tracks - strikes the western flank of the Soviet penetration. To do this, it forms a column, with the three squad carriers in front and the other four half-tracks in the rear.

As the column of half-tracks approaches the gap, the commander of the reaction force fires a flare. This informs the German artillery of the impending arrival of the column and the consequent need to shift its fire towards the north.

Watched over by the other four half-tracks of the column, the three squad carriers drive into the gap torn in the main line of resistance by the Soviet breakthrough. As soon as they arrive at the trenches formerly held by German infantry, the carriers release their squads.

Once all of their passengers are on the ground, the carriers move forward and begin to engage targets with their on-board machine guns. This draws Soviet attention away from nearby German forces: the three dismounted squads, the two headquarters vehicles, and the two armored flamethrowers.

Protected by the dismounted squads, the machineguns of the squad carriers, the artillery fire, and the fire of the armored tank hunters, the four half-tracks use their machine guns and flamethrowers to clear the places where the Soviets had broken through. Once this has been accomplished, the vehicles of the reaction force withdraw to their assembly area.

The withdrawal takes place by echelon. That is, while two or three vehicles move, all other vehicles watch over them and, if suitable targets appear, provide covering fire.

Once it reaches the assembly area, the reaction force prepares for its next deployment. Thus, as the crews of vehicles perform maintenance, load ammunition, and refuel their vehicles, the commander of the task force makes arrangements for the relief of the three squads left in the main battle line.

Note: When writing compound words in German, I separate the elements with hyphens. While less than authentic, this should make it easier for readers new to the German language to make sense of such constructions.

Sources: Poor copies of the complete film can be found under the titles German Panzergrenadier Training Film and Panzer Grenadier Training Film 1944.

Karl Hoeffkes - Panzergrenadierzug im Hauptkampffeld (1944) shows only the second half of the film. However, the quality of the images is much better.

For Further Reading:

Armored Forces Newsletter

1. The full title of Training Film 480 [Lehr-Film 480], Armored Infantry Platoon in the Main Battle Zone [Panzer-Grenadier-Zug in Haupt-Kampf-Feld] gives a false sense of the size of the unit acting as a reaction force.

2. One of the headquarters is that of the platoon of armored infantry. The other is the headquarters of the reaction force as a whole.

3. The regimental commander designated each of the likely breakthrough sites by means of code words. Two of these - Bertha and Caesar - matched words used to represent “B” and “C” in the German spelling alphabet of the day. The third - Anna - represented the letter“A” in the spelling alphabet in use in Switzerland in the 1940s.

4. Strange to say, the commanding officer of the German regiment made no mention of the possibility that two or more breakthroughs might take place at the same time. I presume that simultaneous breakthroughs at two or more places would trigger the employment of a larger reaction force, which might well be the parent regiment of smaller task force featured in the film.